Pat Summitt, shown in her final game March 26, announced her retirement as coach after 38 seasons on April 18. / Mary Chind, Des Moines Register

by Dan Wolken, USA TODAY Sports

by Dan Wolken, USA TODAY Sports

Legendary women's basketball coach Pat Summitt claims in a sworn affidavit filed Wednesday in federal court that Tennessee athletics director Dave Hart told her in a March 14, 2012, meeting that she would step down after the season and he planned to name assistant Holly Warlick as head coach.

Summitt, 60, retired April 18, eight months after announcing she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

The affidavit was filed in support of a lawsuit against the school and Hart brought by former associate athletics director for media relations Debby Jennings, who alleges gender and age-based discrimination. Jennings, who had worked closely with Summitt since 1977, left Tennessee earlier this year at age 57.

In the lawsuit, Jennings claims Hart, citing "insubordination," gave her the choice of "retiring, resigning or being fired" May 15, exactly two months after she sent Hart an email in protest of his alleged decision to remove Summitt and make her "head coach emeritus."

Summitt's affidavit says Jennings was one of a handful of people she told about the meeting with Hart.

When the suit was filed last week, university spokeswoman Margie Nichols told the Knoxville News-Sentinel the allegation involving Summitt "is absolutely not true. It was Pat's idea to be head coach emeritus."

Summitt's affidavit contradicts that: "This was very surprising to me and very hurtful as that was a decision I would have liked to have made on my own at the end of the season after consulting with my family, doctors, colleagues, and friends and not to be told this by Mr. Hart. I felt this was wrong."

Summitt later says Hart met with her again and indicated she misinterpreted what he said but that she didn't tell Jennings about that meeting.

In the affidavit, Summit also claims Hart told her in a Feb. 15 meeting that he wanted to place all of Tennessee's athletics teams under the same "power T" logo instead of the Lady Volunteers brand.

"I was angered when he came out in an interview with the media in May 2012 and denied that he ever intended to do away with the Lady Vol logo," the affidavit states.

Summitt had 1,098 wins and eight national titles in 38 seasons at Tennessee.